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Greta Van Fleet

mesamay2003

By mesamay2003
in Other Bands / Music

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  • 4 weeks later...
SuperDave

SuperDave

Posted
Posted

Well these guys are getting plenty of acknowledgement from some of the legends including Robert Plant.  Last night they played at Elton John's post Oscar Party in Hollywood.  Not too bad when you get to play at a gig like this.  He even played with them as well.  He gave them a lot of praise.  Well done Reggie!

 

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/elton-john-greta-van-fleet-oscars-party/

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nemophilist

nemophilist

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Posted (edited)
On 1/21/2018 at 4:17 PM, Strider said:

When I hear 'Greta' I first think of Greta Garbo. But add the 'Van' and I definitely think of Greta Van Susteren...and it's a downer, for sure. Haha.

I agree with you Rover. Just not that excited by these guys...or Rival Sons, for that matter. I'm more worried that they won't be able to withstand the burden of hype and endless Led Zeppelin-comparisons. Are they this generation's Kingdom Come?

It's fine if you like Led Zeppelin II and all, but when you recreate a sound so slavishly it sometimes paints you into a corner that you cannot escape. The band is young and I guess this is a way for their young fans to experience the 1969 blues rock that they missed out on.

But I want to see how they develop before I think of them as saviors of rock. There are plenty of guitar-based bands out there that I prefer to these guys...Black Angels, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Brian Jonestown Massacre, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Thee Oh Sees to name a few.

But I wish them luck.

I agree with you two. I really have tried getting into them. I love finding new inspiration and I have so much love for all different kinds of music but but they just don't have the magic, the energy, the soul, the depth in influences or originality (in terms of talent and feel) and thus they are quite generic. More along the lines of your insignificant 70's or 80's rock band. They are better than most out there in regards to modern mainstream releases but that isn't saying much. If they weren't hailed as "possibly the next Zeppelin" I truly wouldn't even make these negative remarks. Don't get me wrong, they're not bad at all but they remind of a typical band that tries to emulate Zeppelin but just can't because they frankly don't understand what the band was truly about, nor do they have the depth in terms of influences. They're a straight forward rock band, or certainly something more similar to The Black Crowes with a touch of 80's/90's AC/DC. I have trouble even classifying Zeppelin as a rock band at all because of the depth in their music, when it comes to the mixture of various folk, jazz, blues and rock and roll influences. Even if Greta does have a large range of influences they love it's just not exemplified in their music.

Personally I feel that the first Wolfmother album had more of that Led Zeppelin magical vibe than Greta's release, of course that ceased to exist after that first album, and they weren't nearly as talented musically or technically (as Zeppelin) but that particular album had a lot more depth and soul than anything I've heard from van fleet.

 

 

Edited by nemophilist
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BShea

BShea

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On 3/5/2018 at 7:05 PM, SuperDave said:

Well these guys are getting plenty of acknowledgement from some of the legends including Robert Plant.  Last night they played at Elton John's post Oscar Party in Hollywood.  Not too bad when you get to play at a gig like this.  He even played with them as well.  He gave them a lot of praise.  Well done Reggie!

 

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/elton-john-greta-van-fleet-oscars-party/

I just heard that interview with Robert commenting on the singer.  I'm not sure, but it sounds more like a sarcastic dig than real praise. Here, starting at around 2:50, GVF is brought up:

"he's pretty good.  There's a job for him somewhere" and then he comments about Zepparella and "what a front man... woman".

This sounds very much in line with typical Plant humor, like "the best percussionist Led Zeppelin has ever had, John Bonham - Moby Dick!"  Robert had many similar comments about Zep clones in the 80's.   I remember him 'helping' Jason's first band which was a clone band, and there were plenty of playful digs at the 'talent'.

And the music review sites claim Robert is "a fan of Greta Van Fleet"?  Is that to just connect to young fans, for all young music fans to feel connected to the past greats? 

I'm not knocking GVF, but, uh, give a listen to Zebra, or even the first Bonham album, or any clone band from the 80's. GVF is not a Zep clone, it's a Zebra Clone. It's a xerox of a xerox of a xerox.  You still get to enjoy the content, but it's not anything like the original.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Crimson Avenger

Crimson Avenger

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Ok, I got to see them live last week. Small venue in Manchester, no bigger than a village hall, maybe 300 people in the audience.

As for the music, the short answer is, yes they really can play. The set was shortish, hour and a half. They started off a little restrained maybe, but at some point the drummer really woke up. There was a short punchy version of Evil, then a jam at the end of Liver/Lover, which was stupefyingly good, including bits of Rolling & Tumbling. I'd been worried they might have a weak rhythm section live, but no such thing. And Jake the guitarist was excellent; I love the way he plays and the way he sounds. Finally there's Josh , who gave us all his vocal power; I didn't hear anything off tune on the night, right from the opening Highway Tune. The show finished with a couple of high energy versions of Safari Song and Black Smoke Rising, probably their best two songs. I really liked Edge of Darkness too, which was played early on in the set. I think they've come along quite a lot as a band in the past year or so, so if you checked out some of their live stuff a way back, I'd recommend trying them again with something a bit more recent.

As to the Zep clone argument, I'd say this is largely misplaced. This isn't just a bunch of kids aping their record collection; they can play, and play well together, and their songs are their own. Sure, there's a lot of zep-related things going on here, but they are generally quite subtle. There's no Zep in the set, for example, although there are a few musical references here and there; the solo in Edge of Darkness references Celebration Day a little, and Safari Song has some Black Dog-like licks. Some of the visuals were funny for a Zep fan; from the bass player taking his seat behind the keyboard for one song, to the guitarist and singer joining together at the mic for the encore vocals. Sure, they know their Zep. But their overall live sound seems to me to reference a range of early 70s US bands. I was (maybe oddly) reminded of the James Gang at points, and their cover of Evil (the only cover they did, I think) looks to the funky Cactus version rather than those by Howling Wolf or Eric Clapton.

Criticisms? the guitarist maybe overplayed a bit, and, while his SG sounded great, he could do with a little more tonal variation between songs. If I'm really nitpicking I'd say he hasn't quite got the hang of bent vibrato yet. But he's a talent for sure, for me up there with Jake Bugg (just realised that's two Jakes, hmmm, that's odd) in showing people all over again what can be done with a guitar. Josh maybe needs to work on his stage presence. Quite often when not singing he stands there looking pleased with himself, as well he might I suppose. I'd like to hear they try their hand at some more bluesy material, I think they would do it well.

I think Robert Plant got it right the other day when he said they were Led Zeppelin I. They are starting out, learning and exploring what they can do, and who knows where they will go. Many of the criticisms too are similar to those directed agaisnt Zep in the early days. Maybe they've peaked and will go no further, but on the evidence of the other night I'd say they have a good chance of being around for a long while yet.

Quick shout for the support act in Manchester the other night, the Second Sons. Now, they really were a clone act of the Stones circa 1972, but they pulled it off very well. I'm not normally a fan of anything Stones-ish, but I enjoyed their set a lot. Maybe there's hope for rock music. There was another heartening moment the other evening. On the way to the venue, we passed a packed music bar, blaring out late 70s Clapton far louder than they should have been. I had a broad grin on my face :)

 

 

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SuperDave

SuperDave

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Nice detailed review of the GVF show.  Seems like you saw a great show.  I've seen some videos of their live shows and they certainly cut it in concert.  These guys can certainly play and are very good musicians. A ninety minute show isn't short for a band who have only released eight songs so far with their first full length album later this year.  Some of those songs didn't ring a bell and I guess will be on the new album?  The Zep comparisons keep coming and a lot to do with the media as every article I read about them always mentions this.  Getting a bit tiring and they have their own identity.  They have many influences from other artists as well and a lot of R&B performers.  I will be seeing them for the first time in New Jersey in May and also later in the summer at the Panorama Festival in NYC.  I'm looking so forward to both of these shows and hope they overwhelm me!

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paplbojo

paplbojo

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@Crimson Avenger

What did you think of the singer's voice live?

I like his voice on the albums but not much at all live. It doesn't sound like there's power behind it, just falsetto highs. No real intensity. That's my biggest gripe when people say he sounds like (early) Plant...he really doesn't to me, he can't get as high and there is just no power to it. I wonder if you thought otherwise seeing him live. 

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Crimson Avenger

Crimson Avenger

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8 hours ago, SuperDave said:

A ninety minute show isn't short for a band who have only released eight songs so far with their first full length album later this year.  Some of those songs didn't ring a bell and I guess will be on the new album? 

Cheers! I guess you are right there. There were a couple they could have done, like Rolling In the Deep, the Adele cover. There were two or three they haven't recorded yet, like Mountain of the Sun or Liver Lover Taker Believer. There was an acoutic thing in there too, which I don't think I'd heard before.

8 hours ago, paplbojo said:

What did you think of the singer's voice live?

He did fine. All the high notes were there, with sustain, and often held longer than on the record. He has his own voice, and it will develop if he looks after it. Check this out, it's from the gig I saw in Manchester. The vocal is a bit low in the mix, but you can hear him well enough. Check out 3.50 or so onwards. I didn't record that btw, thanks to whoever did, I was standing about 10 feet to the right!

 

( He should probably lose the pyjama stage outfits though)

 

7 hours ago, Walter said:

a lot of words

I like lots of words!

 

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Walter

Walter

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21 hours ago, paplbojo said:

I thought you were all about peace and love Walter?

Not sure what that’s all about. I was merely trying to point out that the answer to your question was already there, before your question.

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